Briggs Cunningham of Washington College’s Center for the Environment and Society (CES) delivered a report on the Chestertown Government’s energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions for 2011 at this week’s Town Council meeting.
The report includes a comparison of the town’s energy use from 2007, when CES first received funding from the Town Creek Foundation. Aside from the town government of Chestertown, CES has worked to assess the greenhouse gas output (as tied to energy usage) of the town of Betterton, Washington College, and the Kent County Government.
Drawing on invoices from the Town Office, Paradee Gas, Delmarva Power Company, Integrys Energy Services, and Infinity Recycling, the report states that Chestertown has indeed decreased its energy use, using 291,198 fewer kWhs (or -11.3%) in 2011 than 2008, resulting in $132,402 in power savings.
While propane usage went down by 0.8% in 2011 , the Town still paid more for it by 30% due to an average sixty cent per gallon increase on the gas, according to the report.
Where the town has neither been able to save money, or for that matter, reduce its carbon footprint has been on diesel and gasoline fuel costs for its utility vehicles. Citing invoices from the Town Office, the report states that “the Town purchased 4,462 gallons of diesel fuel, which is 791 more (+21.5%) than in 2010; and paid $17,022.44 for the fuel, which is $6,712.75 more (+65%) than in 2010, especially because of an average one dollar per gallon increase in pricing.” The same rising trend can be seen in gasoline consumption, which increased by 14% in 2011, resulting in a 19.7% cost increase due to higher gas prices.
On average, the report states the town government’s facilities and operations did in fact produce more green house gases in 2011, up 35 tons, or 1.5% from 2010. The consumption of “brown power” or electricity, is the main culprit still, with 68.3%, or 1,545 tons of ghges stemming from that source.
For 2011, Chestertown’s per capita ghges output was .45 tons. Rated against Alexandria, VA, which had a .56 tons per capita ghges output for 2005, it would seem that Chestertown is doing well and is only showing signs of advancement towards a greener future.
A question that the report could not answer, however, was what correlation exists between a population’s size and its per capita ghges output. Once a community reaches a metro-like size, amenities like public transportation can help reduce per-capita energy consumption and ghges, if only to slow its growth. Chestertown, without many of these amenities is only .11 tons per capita behind a city with roughly thirty times as many people. Is this normal? Determining “normal” when it comes to ghges output is more difficult than it would seem.
Unfortunately, as Briggs Cunningham later explained, for the time being, ghges data on other towns comparable in size to Chestertown on the Eastern Shore is virtually non-existent, making it hard to gauge where Chestertown stands with its peers like Easton, Centreville, and Middletown.
Green Solutions?
Meanwhile, the report mentioned that “more than 750 trees have been planted around town during the past four years”. Their presence will help to clean storm water, absorb CO2, and provide shade as they mature for the municipal buildings they were planted beside, theoretically working to reduce energy costs on air conditioning.
Other measures taken by the town mentioned in the report include a 3.36 kW solar PV system (not to be confused with the much larger facility designed for the John Hanson Road waste water treatment plant), which will potentially generate $1200 a year in combined energy savings and SREC income. The town also received a $28,000 EECBG grant to help offset other crucial efficiency upgrades to the Town Hall’s boiler and light fixtures.
All in all, the report was optimistic that Chestertown’s government is doing everything feasible to cut down its energy use and to move the town towards a more efficient, sustainable future.
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